Friday, February 27, 2015

A Mother-Woman

And in that moment, in the run-down 2 room house on
the side of a snow covered mountain, I envied her. I wanted what Aida had, all
of her children healthy and with her.

We had asked, after spending some time in the tiny
home, with its saggy plywood floor, sooty walls, and three narrow beds for 9
people, what she found joyful or beautiful about her life. It was natural to
want to end on a high note for this mother, only 28 years old, who had generously
opened her home and life to us. She had answered our questions about the ways
her family barely subsists in this tiny Armenian village, where winter can last
up to 9 months a year, and jobs are scarce.

With nowhere to go outside in the deep snow, and
only one pair of boots for all 7 children, Aida’s family life takes place in these
two rooms, each only a little larger than my bathroom at home.

The burden of rent is often too much, and the
landlord threatens to kick them out, adding a larger dose of worry to Aida’s
plate. The small wood stove used for cooking, washing, and heating water for
bathing, is fueled by cow dung, but Aida’s family does not own a cow. Her
husband muck stalls for someone else in order to earn a very low wage plus get cow dung for the family.

Even though World Vision is just beginning to
establish a presence in their region, Aida’s family and the others in her
village will eventually benefit from all that sponsorship offers: parental
training, agricultural training, nutrition programs, child protection, Sunday
school, and economic development opportunities for the parents. The good news
is that while those programs will take a while to establish, Aida’s family has
already been identified as extremely vulnerable and will be given help in the
meantime.

In fact, we were able to deliver the news that
because of a donation made through a World Vision Gift Catalog, their electricity
bill had been paid and the electricity will be turned back on after a week of
being off. They will also receive an emergency food kit.

Aida IS
grateful to have all of her children healthy and with her. It is what every mother
wants. But behind her warm smile as she holds her adorable second youngest, is likely another desire: to make a better future for her
children. I'm guessing some days that seems impossible.

No, I am not jealous of Aida. That unwanted flicker passed in an instant as it does on many of my days, but now
Aida holds a place in my heart as one mother-woman to another. And I've got to tell you, that after just a few minutes in those little rooms, it became harder and harder to see the lack, even though it most certainly was there. Somehow, the warm intensity of mother-love made the rest start to recede from view.

@anonymous 12:52 a.m. You make an important point! This is another great reason that WV will be entering this community, b/c parental education will help address this issue. I learned that often the men do not want to use condoms, and the women do not have access to birth control or education about their options.

Beautiful. Everything about this post and about this journey, literal and emotional, is beautiful. I think it's an important component of our human nature to envy or admire or feel nostalgia when regarding another human. I also felt a moment of envy or fondness...a fine line at times...when reading this post about Aida. She lovingly cradles her toddler, while her healthy, seemingly happy children stand next to her. Her adoring gaze, as she stands there next to them, has such incredible depth. It's a humbling reminder to appreciate the important things in life, oftentimes masked by petty stress.